In an interview with IGN, EA confirmed that Madden NFL ’08 will not use Nintendo’s Friend Code system. Instead, you will use a separate name for EA’s Messenger service, which I would assume means one name for all EA sports games (but don’t quote me on that). Excerpt below:

IGN Wii: Does Madden support voice chat or any type of online communication? Also, will players need friend codes to hook up, chat, and play?Damian Zerr: Madden Wii does not support voice chat this year. We do have a basic EA Messenger chat service which allows you to keep connected with friends during online play. EA Messenger is separate from the Wii friends list so when you’re online you search for people by using their online EA Nation Persona.

IGN Wii: Does the online mode automatically import your system code, or do you need a separate friend code to play Madden online?

Damian: Madden Wii doesn’t support the Wii friends system during online play. This is something we’re still working on with Nintendo. For now our online play uses your EA Nation Persona to search and manage your EA Messenger account.